New Year Update!

Happy New Year everyone!


New year, new update...yes, I know that to most people the new year started on January 1st, but that's so the Year of the Bunny. Plus, many people have probably forgotten, or ditched, the resolutions they made on the Gregorian 1st by now anyway, so this is as good a time as any to take stock.


Besides, I'm a girl, so my sense of direction is instinctively based on cuddly animals (go past the bunny, to get to the dragon, etc) rather than boring numbers (after 2011, comes 2012 - I flunked my first maths test aged 8, unfortunately). And, yes, I do know some cuddly dragons out there.

See? 

More to the point, it's been a pretty eventful week/end. I'd submitted an interview to UK Handmade earlier in the week that's now published on their wonder web. I find it's really helped me take stock of what I've achieved until now and make my next plans of action. So, if you want to know what my resolutions are for the Year of the Dragon, do lend that interview your 龙眼, or any other 眼! I'm not fussy. Hehe.

龙眼 ('Dragons' eyes' in Chinese), or mata kuching ('cats' eyes' in Malay) are these tasty little fruit. Named for these yummy little sclera found between their scaly brown shells and shiny black pupils. Guess there aren't many dragons in Southeast Asia though
(Credit: Pic filched from a fellow blogger)

Here's a quick update on what I've been up to (and been too slow to report on the first New Year's Day, I think I did an okay job of covering that up though, don't you? > u - Well, until now that is...)


Christmas brought me a a bit of a windfall in terms of an unprecedented demand for my Bboys, so I've come up with a new and improved version of Bboy Hollowback. He comes with his own non-slip lino and has a handgrip so strong that it's positively magnetic. This bboy never crashes his freeze!

Rock steady

Hong 10 freeze. Whooo! *jump up and down maniacally*

My work buddy had also been helping me plug my work by showing it off to friends and family. Many of you probably know that I usually make stencils and spraypaint my own packaging. Ranjit had also seen a top I painted for myself.

Rockin' that Banksy-style style at the Breakfest jam, and at work some days

Anyway, the result was a request for this T-shirt, based on my packaging design.


From my bezzie, for his cousin's prezzie! Hopefully, more of these will be trotting out of Sock 'N' Soul HQ, but I need to not spend hours cutting out each stencil from cereal boxes. There has to be a better way...

Frontside view

Backside view

While I was getting creative with stencilling, I also came up with a new packaging design for my commissions.

'Cos you get all of me when you request a commission rather than picking something up from one of my standard ranges, like Darn Stuff, or Sock 'N' Soul, or Sock 'N' Pole, or Sock 'N' Shoal...okay, I'll stop now, promise! haha...

I used those for a commission made for artist Hamish Blakely - a Christmas present from his wife. Blog report to come, but you'll see pictures of in the UK Handmade interview, and, if you haven't already, WHYYYY??? Go look now! Uh, pleeeease?


While I'm on the topic of personal goals and bboying, I just have to show you this! It's my incredibly hardworking, creative and original training buddies battling each other at King of the Bboys on Saturday, left side won, but right side got through to next battle. Go figure about judges' decisions, but anyway, I'm proud of them all.

My personal goal with breaking is to practice the moves I don't like as much as the ones I do; at least 10 times per session. I've already made huge improvements in my flares, swipes and blowup freezes using this approach. Enter the dragon! RARRRRR!


Maybe I'll upload a video of my progress sometime. Mayyybe. By the way, here's a date for your diary, Andy's organising an event which is scheduled for 28th April in The Studio at the Herbert Gallery, Coventry. So train hard, enter the battles and stand to win awesome prizes like Sock 'N' Soul Bboys and a Bboy Dynamick original.

One final thing. As of Friday, I'd been appointed online marketer at jobs.ac.uk and start today. It's going to give me a chance to learn more about social media and boost the ol' income while I take my time getting to know you, my faithful friends. And it gives me a chance to use my creativity, and academic background, and get paid to hang out on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn! Cool beans.


So that goal I talked about in my interview has come to fruition *happy face* 


This dragon is one good-lookin' year...

Happee Nashuner Day, peeper! *waves flag*

(Translation: Happy National Day, everybody! *waves flag*)

Actually, I usually just celebrate by watching the National Day parade on Youtube afterwards, so the 9th August isn't terribly eventful for me away from home. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of being Singaporean, I love the country and all it means to me...family, friends, my childhood, the food...AHHHH, Foooood.....*misty-eyed* but I just don't have anyone here to celebrate with! I know, I know.... *violins wailing in the background*

It really doesn't bother me that much, but since 'apathy' has become a new buzzword after the General Elections earlier this year, I must prove that I am not politically apathetic! *stamps feet* Well, I've cooked my own Hokkien prawn mee from scratch. I cooked the recipe from scratch TWICE. It shows that my actions are in keeping with the hawkers out there who do this everyday. The heartlanders...See? How well I know my people...*sweeping hand gesture*

Aaaaanyway, punniness aside, I've also eaten said Hokkien mee for about 4 days in a row! Now if that isn't patriotic fervour, I don't know what is. What to do? When one boils a stinky pig's trotter to make stock for a recipe meant for 10, but isn't cooking for a family gathering *sniff* that means one must eat the same dish ten times lor! Although with some help from the Brit, it means I only need to have it FIVE times! He even helped me clean the pig's trotter 'cos I was too grossed out...I'm a 3rd generation Singaporean lah, we're a bit soft when it comes to eggs and legs but the Pandy's a science geek so he doesn't mind. Even gleefully pointed out to me that there were hairs in-between the toenails. Eeyer! (Translation: Yuck!)

Here's a picture for fun. Of the Hokkien mee lah, not pigs' trotters...there are chewren around, y'know? Wait they cry if they see what's happened to poor Wilbur! Haiyah.
(Translation: Of the Hokkien noodles, idiot, not pigs' trotters...there are children around, y'know? What if they cry when they see what's happened to poor Wilbur! Humph.)

No no no, there's no hor fun here, plenty of mee and bee hoon, yes.

That's an old picture actually, I used kitchi (Malay: kechil = small) prawns this time round so it looks less droolworthy. So, see? Buy something from Sock 'N' Soul HQ and then I can afford big prawns next time! More to the point... I seem to be digressing more and more with every post. Well, y'know what they say: You can take food away from the Singaporean, but you can't take the Singaporean away from food *beam* My sis even says I've got something called a food grin! Usually it's when I've just arrived home and can't decide what to eat, so order about 3 dishes at once and polish them all off *food grin* The last time this happened Pandy looked a bit anxious, but not to worry! Us Asians have good skin elasticity! Comes from all that pigs' trotter collagen. Plus the portion sizes in Singapore are a third of those in English pubs anyway.

So just because I don't do much to celebrate National Day doesn't mean nobody else should, and I thought I'd help you celebrate! WHOO HOO!!! Let's booogie! *waves flag vigorously*

Sock 'N' Soul have come out for the party too!

Red and white, it's outta sight!

LET'S CELEBRATE!

If you make a purchase at £15 (about $30) or greater from my Folksy store (sorry ah, Etsy one not updated yet) from now till the end of the month,  delivery will be free to anywhere in the world that allows Darn Stuff (and everything else I make) freedom of entry.

The rules: 

(us Singaporeans like to be told what to do, the ones that don't, move away. Haha! Joking lah, kay?)

• In the spirit of Singapore's open and multi-ethnic society, this offer is open to everyone. Lelong, lelong! (Translation: Come buy, come buy!)

• One free delivery per customer, per address please, don't kiasu ah! Wait I pok kai then how? (Translation: Don't loot me! What if I go bust like London retailers?)

• Valid for items listed on Folksy only. If I run out of stock, please contact me anyway. (No lah! I won't send you the pig's trotter stock. Donch worrit!) The order is eligible if placed before the end of the month. Unless I really run out of sock, then bor pian. Sorry! (Translation: No, I won't send you the pig's trotter stock. Don't worry!....Unless I really run out of sock, then I can't make more. Sorry!)

So come and look see look see, ok? I've got new Smelly Babies in Melon & Passionfruit or Champagne & Roses fravoured scents. They got smelly balls lah, that's why they smell. Summore got Smelly Bunnies. They have smelly balls too. As usual, they come in a variety of features and embellishments, so click on each item to see the options.

WHEEEEE!!! Having fun on the spinning teacups...

Yah, I know. I have a lot of smelly things in stock right now. If you lay them in your drawer (the wooden pull-out kind, or underwear kind, or bofe) they'll make your melons and passion fruit smell velly nice. Maybe help to increase the low birth rate. Heehee, us Singaporeans like corny joke.

I'm also making some whales. Not smelly ones lah, what would they smell of...sperm? That'd be so wrong. Then, technically speaking, my SBs should smell of poo! Or vomit. Althoooough sperm bal...NO. No smelly whales.

There'll also be some little ducks coming soon and lots of other Darn Stuff, so drop by and have a lookie, okie? See you there!

Dudes with attitood

Bzzzzzzbzzzzbzz *tuning back to Radio 4 from Singlish FM in time for next post* xxx